Citi Premier Credit Card: Increased 80,000-Point Sign-Up Bonus
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In recent weeks we’ve seen a deluge of all-time-high credit card welcome bonuses from issuers like Chase and American Express, but — with the exception of the new Citi Custom Cash℠ Card — things have been quiet on the Citi front.
That’s just changed with the launch of a record-high bonus on the popular Citi Premier® Card, which is now offering 80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
That’s a full 20,000 ThankYou points higher than the previous offer, and at minimum, you can expect to get $800 from the bonus when you redeem for travel, gift cards, or cash back.
Read more: The best Citi credit cards of 2021
When you have the Citi Premier® Card, you’ll unlock the ability to transfer your ThankYou points to Citi’s full range of airline partners, including Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and JetBlue. In fact, it’s the only card publicly available to new applicants that allows this (the Citi Prestige® Card
has this feature too, but it recently stopped accepting applications).
Citi Premier 80,000-point sign-up bonus
Regular APR
15.99% – 23.99% Variable
Credit Score
Good to Excellent
Featured Reward
80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
Pros
- Strong sign-up bonus
- Generous bonus categories
Cons
- Doesn’t offer much in the way of statement credits or other perks
- Citi ThankYou Rewards may not be as convenient as other points for US-based travelers
- Earn 80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Hotels
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
- 80,000 Points are redeemable for $800 in gift cards when redeemed at thankyou.com
- No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
Along with a huge bonus of 80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening, the Citi Premier® Card offers great bonus categories that are useful whether you’re staying close to home or on the road. You’ll earn 3x points in these categories:
All other purchases earn 1 ThankYou point per dollar, and there are no spending caps in any of the categories.
Read more: Citi Premier card review
When it’s time to use your Citi ThankYou points, you’ve got a wide range of options. You’ll typically get the most value when you transfer points at a 1:1 ratio to any of Citi’s 16 airline partners for high-value redemptions, especially first- or business-class award flights.
Insider’s points and miles valuations peg Citi ThankYou points as worth, on average, 1.6 cents apiece — in large part due to the ability to transfer your points to partners and get a high value.
Read more: How to earn, redeem, and maximize Citi ThankYou points
If you’re not interested in fussing with award charts or blackout dates, a more straightforward way to use your Citi ThankYou points is by booking flights, hotels, and other travel through the Citi ThankYou Rewards portal. When you redeem your points in this way, they’re worth a straight 1 cent apiece.
Other redemption options include:
- Cash back — Use points for a statement credit or direct deposit at 1 cent apiece
- Gift cards — Redeem points for gift cards to dozens of popular merchants and restaurants at a rate of 1 cent each
- Student loans and mortgages — Cash in your points at 1 cent apiece for mortgage or student loan payments
- Charity donations — Use your rewards to support your favorite charitable organization at a rate of 1 cent per point
- Merchandise — Pay with points at checkout with Amazon, Paypal, and more (point values vary)
Read more: 6 reasons the Citi Premier should be your go-to card for the pandemic — and beyond
The Citi Premier® Card is a solid choice if you’re looking to maximize your rewards earning, especially if you already have no-annual-fee Citi cards like the Citi Rewards+® Card
or Citi® Double Cash Card. Pairing credit cards from the same rewards program can help you earn the most rewards on your everyday spending.
And if you really want to get serious about boosting your Citi ThankYou Rewards balance, consider opening the Citi Trifecta — the Citi Premier® Card, Citi® Double Cash Card, and Citi Custom Cash℠ Card — to earn at least 2x points on every purchase.
100,000 points
Good to Excellent
Featured Reward
3 Free Nights (valued up to 50,000 points each) after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months, plus 10x total points per $1 spent on up to $2,500 in combined purchases in select categories within your first 6 months
Credit Needed
Good to Excellent
Featured Reward
$200 after spending $500 in the first three months from account opening
Credit Needed
Good to Excellent
